Buddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje UFC 324: Gaethje ‘couldn’t see things for years’ until eye surgery

Gaethje, who faces Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at T-Mobile Arena, says the practical nature of wrestling made up for his bad eyesight because it eliminated concerns about managing distance.

“That’s why I’m so good at inside fighting because I always had to touch them to know where I was to hit them,” Gaethje said.

“It was way off. I was nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other, so I was hitting the middle eye.”

He continued: “This is the skill I had to work on the most, and the one I fought them the most on. I could always see them but it was understanding the distance.

“If I closed one eye, they would be 5 feet away, and if I closed the other they would be right in my face. That was the biggest thing to overcome.”

Former interim champion Gaethje, who last fought in March with a win over Rafael Fisiev, says life has been “amazing” after having his eyes repaired but credits rhinoplasty in 2022 as being just as beneficial.

After being defeated by Charles Oliveira for the UFC lightweight title, Gaethje had surgery to repair his septum, which had been damaged 13 years earlier during his wrestling career.

“It was great to be able to taste my food again,” says Gaethje. “Those years were something else – I couldn’t see, taste or smell.”

“Every experience I’ve had has shaped me and made me the person I am now, so I’m grateful for it all.”